In today’s business world, effective sales training isn’t just a bonus for your sales team – it’s a must-have. Frequent, high-quality sales training helps your team stay motivated, sharp and ready to tackle every challenge. If you’re a sales leader, can you recall the last time you helped your salespeople “sharpen the saw” and provided growth opportunities for them? If … Read More
Sales Stories and Lessons Learned: Insights from Lisa Peskin’s Interview on the Sales Pro Network
Everyone in sales has a story, but BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin has a collection of stories that are as inspiring as they are game-changing! In a recent interview with Jeff Goldberg on the Sales Pro Network, Lisa didn’t just share advice. Instead, she dove into the real-world experiences and hard-earned lessons that have shaped both her own career and her … Read More
You Can’t “Cookie Cutter” Sales: Why There’s No One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Success
Let’s face it – there’s no magic formula for success and you can’t “cookie cutter” sales. What works for one person might not work for someone else, and something that worked great for someone today might not work for that same person tomorrow. Whether you’re in sales or sales leadership, or have another role, success is all about finding what … Read More
How to Achieve Sales Success: Watch Lisa Peskin’s Interview on Giant TV
Are you a salesperson struggling to hit your own targets or a sales leader looking to boost your team’s performance? In this interview on Giant TV, BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin shares game-changing insights on how to achieve sales success. Hosted by Paul Hitchcock, the conversation takes a deep dive into proven strategies that help sales professionals and teams consistently deliver … Read More
Why Every Sales Team Needs a Playbook: Scoring Consistent Touchdowns and Wins
In football, every great team has a playbook. It’s a strategic guide that maps out how they’ll score touchdowns and win games. Without it, teams would be lost, running around the field with no clear direction. The same is true in sales. A sales playbook serves as your team’s game plan, ensuring everyone is on the same page, working together … Read More
Understanding Fractional Sales Management: The Benefits of Flexible Sales Leadership
In today’s fast-paced business world, flexibility is key. You may have come across the term “fractional sales management” but aren’t entirely sure what it means or how it could benefit your business. Whether you’re a startup with a small sales team or an established business looking to scale without breaking the bank, fractional sales management might be the perfect solution … Read More
Sales Team Performance: What Yard Line Are Your Salespeople On?
Sales team performance isn’t always about instant results. Sometimes your salespeople might not seem successful, but they’re closer to a breakthrough than you realize. Think of each team member as a football player on the field, each positioned at different yard lines. Some are stuck in their own zone, struggling to gain momentum, while others are on the 20-yard line, … Read More
Maximizing Sales Management Impact with Five Key Touchpoints
Sales managers have a one-line job description: to help their direct reports be as successful as possible. And sales managers play a pivotal role in that success, shaping the strategies and practices that drive performance. Maximizing sales management impact is crucial to a company’s success, and well-honed sales management techniques can significantly influence not only team performance but overall business … Read More
What is a Sales Kickoff? The Purpose and Power of Kickoff Meetings
Imagine a room filled with enthusiastic sales reps, eager to tackle the upcoming year with fresh strategies and a renewed sense of purpose. Welcome to the sales kickoff meeting! But what exactly is a sales kickoff, and why is it so crucial for sales teams? What Does Kickoff Mean in Business and Sales? In the business world, a kickoff marks … Read More
Sales Leadership Training: Building a Strong Foundation in Sales Management
In the world of sales, it’s essential to understand the difference between a sales leader and a sales manager. While a sales manager simply handles the operations day to day and ensures the sales strategy is executed effectively, a sales leader goes above and beyond by inspiring and guiding their sales team towards success. Understanding this distinction is the first … Read More
From Good to Great: Coaching a Sales Team to Excellence
In today’s competitive business landscape, having a high-performing sales team is not just an advantage—it’s a necessity. However, even the most talented sales reps can stall without the right guidance. This is where expert coaching comes into play, transforming good sales teams into great ones. But what is the secret to coaching a successful sales team? Keep reading to discover … Read More
“Squeeze the Lemon” and Be Comprehensive
By now, you probably know all about BDU’s philosophy of “squeezing the lemon” to get the most from everything you do, but are you being comprehensive to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of “juice”? “Squeezing the lemon” is not just about being purposeful; it’s also about being thorough and doing everything you can do to cover all … Read More
Fourth Quarter Incentives – It’s Time to Motivate Your Team
Sales leaders, how are you helping your direct reports hit their fourth quarter – and annual – numbers as we approach the end of the year? It’s time to motivate your team with incentives! It’s Time to Incentivize You already know that it’s better to motivate your direct reports with the carrot instead of the stick, and it is truly … Read More
One-on-One Meetings: To Have or Not to Have
Sales leaders, how often do you schedule one-on-one meetings with each of your direct reports? Are you making it a priority to have individual meetings with each of your salespeople on a regular basis? Lisa recently held a private leadership training for a group of sales managers and was surprised to hear that they don’t regularly meet one on one … Read More
Six Key Metrics for Sales Managers to Monitor
There are six key metrics all sales managers need to monitor for each of their direct reports to determine if they are thriving, where any areas of opportunity might lie and how best to put a plan of action in place to help them not only meet but exceed their goals. If you’re a sales leader, you know that you … Read More
A Lesson in Sales Success from Lisa’s Horoscope
Lisa was recently listening to a morning radio show when she heard the horoscopes for the day. While she is not one to typically listen out for her horoscope, she decided to do so that day. She listened as the show’s host went through the other zodiac signs and when they finally reached Lisa’s, she was thrilled that she had … Read More
Sales Playbook: Your Blueprint for Success
Selling without a sales playbook is akin to building a house without a blueprint. Are you setting your salespeople up for success by giving them the tools and roadmap necessary to get there? Every industry, company and individual has their own way of selling. Even the most well-established organizations will have different managers within who lead their teams in their … Read More
Squeezing the Lemon: The Power of One More
You know about BDU’s philosophy of “squeezing the lemon“, and part of what makes this philosophy so impactful is the power of doing just one more activity, no matter how small, as it can lead to big results. Lisa recently had the pleasure of conducting a training session for one of BDU’s clients on “The Power of One More.” Why … Read More
Ten Tips for Time Management
Time is our most valuable resource so it’s important that we know how to make the most of it. You know about BDU’s philosophy of squeezing the lemon to maximize every opportunity and get the most “juice” out of everything you do, but what else can you do to make sure you’re being productive each and every day? We’ve created … Read More
How Do YOU Avoid or Get Out of a Sales Slump?
Everyone who is in sales has probably experienced the dreaded sales slump. Your numbers are down, you have no great leads in the pipeline, and you feel stagnant with your progress and efforts. What do you do when it hits? How do YOU get yourself out of a sales slump and back on track, and what do you do to … Read More
Sales Leaders, Does Adding Pressure Help Your Underperformers?
It can be challenging to figure out how to best handle a direct report who is just not performing well. Our first inclination as sales leaders may be to put more pressure on the underperformers. While you may have a few salespeople who perform better this way, adding pressure might end up doing more harm than good. Sometimes underperformers have … Read More
Sales Leadership Tip: Setting Key Numbers and Getting Buy In
Want your direct reports to buy in when setting key numbers and quotas for them? It’s all about steering the conversation and allowing them get involved in the process of determining their own goals. By doing so, they’ll ultimately be more willing and committed to achieving them. As sales leaders, we know the importance of having frequent conversations with our … Read More
For 2023 Sales Success, Do You Need to do MORE or do BETTER?
If your 2022 activities didn’t yield the results you desired, it’s time to determine if you should start doing MORE or if you need to look for ways to do BETTER. It’s the beginning of a new year, and with it comes a fresh start to set yourself up for sales success. If you haven’t already, take some time to … Read More
Year-End Checklist for Sales Leaders
As the year comes to an end, it’s important as sales leaders that we do all we can to fulfill our one-line job description: to help our direct reports be as successful as possible. Here’s a handy year-end checklist you can download and use to help your team finish out the year strong and set yourselves up to hit the … Read More
“Squeezing the Lemon” for Sales Leaders
If you’re a sales leader, it’s important that you know about BDU’s philosophy of “squeezing the lemon” to be productive and get the most from all you do. As sales leaders, we’re so busy juggling so much every day – especially if we carry a bag ourselves – that we need to make sure we’re doing all we can to … Read More
How to Build a Team of Sales Superstars – “Smashing the Plateau” interview with BDU’s Lisa Peskin
Are you, or is your team, having trouble meeting and exceeding sales goals? Do you know the important ingredients to smashing the sales plateau and reaching the next level? Can you identify your triage areas, the three areas that if approved upon will have the biggest impact on your performance or the performance of your team? How do you work … Read More
Re-Engage Your Unresponsive Prospects Right Now
We’ve all been there with an initially warm prospect that’s suddenly gone cold. You’re trying to close the sale and they’re just not moving forward. Maybe they’ve stopped returning your calls or emails, or they’re responding with some strong pushback. When you need to re-engage your unresponsive prospects, there are several things you can do to move things forward. How … Read More
Year-End Sales Success Starts at Halloween
Being in sales can often feel scary as we put ourselves out there and face rejection, but with these three sales tips you can calm those fears and achieve success. Your year-end sales success starts NOW, around Halloween, but it doesn’t need to be scary. Now that we’re well into the last quarter of the year, it can feel overwhelming … Read More
Networking: BDU’s Five Key Tips for Attracting Influencers
Most sales professionals understand that networking is a key component to business success. Perhaps you’ve attended a handful of networking events but haven’t gotten much out of them. At Business Development University, helping you take things to the next level is what we do…here are some key tips for attracting influencers. Networking is so much more than just showing up … Read More
5 Tips for Becoming a Sales Leader
The sales world is competitive, and you need to separate yourself among the competition. In this post, I’m going to offer a few simple tips for becoming a sales leader, and effectively managing a sales team that produces results. As a sales manager you have a one-line job description: make your sales team successful. Sound easy? Actually, this can be … Read More
Three Reasons Your Salespeople Aren’t Doing What They Need To Do
If you’re a sales leader, you’ve likely experienced times when your salespeople aren’t doing what you’ve told them to do. You know that your one job is to help your direct reports be as successful as possible, but what do you do when you’ve provided someone with ample training, tips, feedback and support and they are simply not taking your … Read More
Decision-Maker or Not Decision-Maker?
One of the biggest challenges that a sales person faces is reaching the right decision makers within the companies they are prospecting. It is often times very easy to set appointments with low level, non-decision makers within organizations; so we set those appointments because it feels productive, without asking ourselves if the person we’re meeting with is “decision-maker or not … Read More
The Ups and Downs of Sales
The sales profession is a wonderful one, if you can deal with the psychological aspect of dealing with the constant pressure and the ups and downs of sales. For those of you who know what I mean and have experienced those peaks and valleys, I have great news – There is a way to avoid the lows. It took me … Read More
Going from Good Salesperson to Great Salesperson: Focus on the Gap
How do you go from good salesperson to great salesperson? Whether you’re a salesperson or a sales leader, it’s important to identify triage areas so you can focus on the gap and make the necessary tweaks to boost performance and potential. You’ve likely heard us talk about BDU’s triage philosophy of identifying the top three areas that, if improved upon, … Read More
Providing Effective Feedback: Tips For Sales Managers
Providing effective feedback is a tool to help your sales professionals improve their performance ongoing. It is not meant for them to feel bad, guilty or shamed for a situation; it is so that they walk away with the tools to perform better in the future. For many sales leaders, feedback is a critical tool for encouraging the right behaviors … Read More
Five Secrets of Successful Sales Leaders
As a sales manager or leader, you have a one-line job description: to make your sales team as successful as possible. In order to be a great leader, you first need to build trust within your team. Then, you’ll need to figure out what needs to be done to maximize everyone’s performance and potential. From our years of experience working … Read More